Natural and LP gas has a specific odor that alerts you of their presence. This feature is not true of carbon monoxide (CO). CO is a poisonous, flammable gas with no odor and color, making CO especially hazardous. We can breathe in CO with no sense of odor or irritation to our nose or throats. When we inhale CO, our blood cells attach to CO molecules instead of oxygen molecules. This process starves our organs of the oxygen needed for continued survival, resulting in illness and death. Children and the elderly, as well as individuals with heart or respiratory conditions, are especially vulnerable to the effects of CO.

The Center for Disease Control reports that over 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning every year, typically in their home or car. Many of these deaths occur during the winter months. These are the months when people heat their homes while minimizing outside ventilation. Although CO levels may not prove high enough to be fatal, they can still result in serious illnesses. CO poisonings account for nearly 50,000 visits to hospital emergency departments each year.

The Illinois Poison Center logs over 74,000 calls on poisoning exposures each year. Poison centers across the nation manage over 2.1 million cases each year. It may surprise you that 90% of these incidents occur in the home. Furthermore, some of the most common exposures involve toxic substances we all use or come in contact with relatively often.